The WATER ST. THEATER was built by John S. Potter in 1848. Located at 1273 Water St. (W. 9th St. after 1905) it seated more than 1,000 people and included 2 tiers of boxes and 4 private boxes. The theater was destroyed by fire in 1850, and the site was redeveloped as the Seaman's Hotel and, later, the Showboat Theater.
The Water Street Theater is generally thought to be Cleveland’s first venue built solely for dramatic productions, However, it was preceded by several spaces used intermittently or re-fitted for stage productions. These include Shakespeare Hall, aka., Shakespeare Gallery (1819) located in a small structure near the foot of Superior Hill; a small stage inside Mowrey’s Tavern on the current site of the HOTEL CLEVELAND (~1820); ITALIAN HALL, a converted attic room on Water/ West 9th St. (~1830); the Dean & McKinney Theater on Superior at Union Lane / West 10th St. (early 1830s); the Center Street Theater on Frankfort St. (~1832), and Watson’s Hall on Superior St. (1840). (See THEATER)
Updated by Christopher Roy 31 Jan 2026